INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the q u alityo f the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission ofof the the copyrightcopyright owner.owner. FurtherFurther reproduction reproduction prohibited prohibited without without permission. permission. THE HISTORY OF THE ARTS IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES by Robin L. Burnosky Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of the American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Performing Arts: Arts Management Signatures of Committee: Chair: t / ________ __ (J, Dean of the College Date 1994 The American University 'TJOO Washington, D.C. 20016 rHE AFRICA* UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1375337 UMI Microform 1375337 Copyright 1995, by OMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To my mother Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE HISTORY OF THE ARTS IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES BY Robin L. Burnosky ABSTRACT This thesis examines the history of the inclusion of art in the Olympic Games. Research explains how and why French Baron Pierre de Coubertin sought to revive the Olympic Games in 1896. Coubertin desired to model the modern Olympic Games after those in ancient Greece. He was obsessed with the ancient Greek philosophy of individual harmonious development - mind, body and spirit. From 1912 to 1948, Olympic competitions in the arts, the "Pentathlon of Muses", were held in literature, architecture, painting, sculpture and music in conjunction with sporting competitions. For various reasons, since 1952, the art competitions were replaced by art exhibitions. Each host city must present arts events in accordance with International Olympic Committee regulations. The 1996 summer Olympic Games will be held in Atlanta, Georgia and a large, multi-year, multi-disciplinary 'Cultural Olympiad' has been implemented. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the following: - Niama Prevots, for her constant encouragement and support since the inception of the project. - Larry Maloney and Valerie Morris, for their time and expertise. - Staff of the Olympic Study Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, for their generous assistance. Special thank you to Ruth and Jean-Luc Perrenoud. - Olympic historians who provided much guidance: Hugh Lee, John A. Lucas and David Gilman Romano. - Helpful colleagues: Jeffrey Babcock, Gail Humphries Breeskin, J. Carter Brown, Barbara Collura, Joe Cortina, Ken Marsolais and Robert Pierce. - Family and friends who lived through this thesis with me: Sheila, Laura and Kris Burnosky, Nadine Gabai, William Forrester, Maria Guralnik, Howard Kurtz, Barbara Tucker Parker, Blake Robin, Barbara Spindel and Roger Wolfson. Special thank you to Todd Pierce for putting me up in Greece. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................... iii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION.........................................................................1 2. ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES....................................................5 3. MODERN REVIVAL....................................................................15 4. FINE ARTS COMPETITIONS (1912 -1948)...............!.............23 5. FINE ARTS EXHIBITIONS (1952 - 1992)..................................38 6. ATLANTA CULTURAL OLYMPIAD ......................................61 7. CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 74 Appendix A.................................................................................................. 76 Appendix ...................................................................................................B 83 Bibliography.................................................................................................84 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER ONE Introduction On a sacred, peaceful site in the western Peloponnese of ancient Greece, Olympia, the greatest Panhellenic sanctuary, was the home to quadrennial celebrations of athletics and the arts. These celebrations, known as the Olympic Games, were the cornerstone and epitome of a culture committed to the harmonious development of the mind and the body. From 776 BC to 395 AD, the ancient Olympic Games were a sanctified institution and unifying symbol, which brought Greeks together, even in the fury of war. Its crowned victors payed homage to the god Zeus by creating votive treasures in the form of statues in the sacred grove at Olympia. The Olympic Games invoked a unique accord among those present: agile youths, famous leaders, philosophers, musicians, sculptors and poets. The ancient Greek model of the Olympic Games and a desire to reform amateur athletics moved Pierre de Coubertin, a French baron, to revive the tradition in 1896. Coubertin was obsessed with the Greek ideal known as Olympism, which encompasses the simultaneous training of the human body and cultivation of the intellect and spirit. Coubertin noted, "the Games are not merely to enhance muscular strength, they are intellectual and artistic in nature"1. He hoped to create an environment in modern society where artists and athletes were mutually inspired. Although three Olympiads did take place from 1896 - 1904, it wasn't until 1906 that Coubertin convened the Consultive Conference on Art, 1 Pierre de Coubertin, “All Games, all nations”, Review Qlympique(1912), 84. 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 Letters, and Sport in Paris to study ways in which art and literature could be incorporated into the Olympic movement. At this conference, it was decided that in addition to athletic competitions, artists would compete and win medals. These contests, introduced at the Stockholm Olympiad in 1912, were called the "Pentathlon of Muses". From 1912 to 1948, these competitions were held with varying levels of success and international participation. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to living artists who created works during the four year period prior to the subsequent Olympiad. Each work had to be related to sport and approved by the Olympic Committee of the nation in which the artist claimed citizenship. Areas of competition were architecture, sculpture, painting, music and literature.2 Following the 1948 Olympiad in London, the fine arts competitions were abolished due to reasons including judging controversies, difficulty in transporting the objects and perhaps the most symbolic reason - the public's lack of interest. In order to maintain some level of arts activity, the competitions were replaced by exhibitions, festivals and performances. Fundamental Principle #44 in the 1993 Olympic Charter requires each organizing committee to hold "a program of cultural events ... symbolizing the universality and the diversity of human culture."3 These displays of arts programming differed significantly for each Olympiad. The hypothesis of this study is that the arts have played an important role in the ancient and modern Olympic Games. This thesis will comprehensively analyze the nature and extent of the history, value and success of the arts in the Olympic Games. The following phases in Olympic 2 These categories expanded to included numerous sub-categories. 3 International Olympic Committee, Olympic Charter,(Lausanne: Comite